Kougra in Need
by Alkuna
Summary: Pets adopted fromt he pound are usually happy to be out. Kiara not only isn't happy, but she attacks her owner!


Kougra in Need  
  
Disclaimer: This story is NOT TRUE! Kiara1896's last owner was a wonderful person and I talked to her at length before adopting Kiara1896 from her. This story in no way reflects back on her. But I figured I would change it a little from the "last owner unable to afford the pet" line of stories.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own neopets.com :p  
  
Stasheff, my desert Kougra, and I traded looks as we approached the Adoption Center. We were both ready for the challenge we would have ahead of ourselves. We had gone to Faerie Land and talked to the Faerie Queen at length about a choice for adopting a NeoPet.  
  
"Well Whyte_tiger," (that's me) "There are many wonderful pets that need a home. But I believe you would help a great deal more if you adopted a pet that wasn't so wonderful and gave him or her a good home."  
  
Stasheff, hardly able to think of anyone as not being good, had asked, "What do you mean, 'not so wonderful'?"  
  
"Many pets were abused before being abandoned. The pain they have felt broke their hearts. Instead of being sad, several of them have become mean and lash out in their misery. I know of one such NeoPet. She is a Kougra, and since you have done so well with Stasheff." Stasheff's chest puffed out and he purred softly, "Then perhaps you could help this young one."  
  
The Faerie Queen gestured to a mirror and I watched as it revealed a young Kougra cub. She was red, just like Stasheff had been.  
  
***  
  
She had lived alone most of her life, born in the wild, raised and taught to fear humans. She lived as she could; eating fruits deep in the wilds, stealing meats from unobservant picnickers when she could.  
  
Then a human had come. He had seemed nice, and had noticed her slinking through the picnic grounds looking for anything that might be dropped. He had called to her and offered her a sizable chunk of meat, laced with a sleeping potion.  
  
Her hunger had worn out and she had taken the meat. He had chuckled as she passed out. The young Kougra woke up much later to find herself in a cage only barely big enough to stand in.  
  
What followed tore my heart in two and made Stasheff, so sweet tempered and mild, snarl like a Grarrl being teased with its favorite gobstopper.  
  
I will not repeat it here, for it is not something to tell the faint of heart. Let's just say the young Kougra was taught to hate, and hate with a passion.  
  
He used her in the Battle Dome, turning her loose on unsuspecting challengers. She was so savage that he never had to equip her with anything. She always won, and had to be tranquilized if an owner wanted his or her pet back alive.  
  
Then came the day when he went too far. He tried to make her meaner and she turned on him. That had been the end of it, and she was muzzled, bound and dumped in the Adoption Agency.  
  
***  
  
I had closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, "Is she the one you want me to adopt?"  
  
The Faerie Queen nodded solemnly, "It will not be easy. She is really hurting deep inside, and she is very fierce. If you agree to accept her, I will give you all the equipment that you need to begin. But in order to finish, you must supply the rest. Show her kindness, patience and gentleness."  
  
I nodded and said simply, "I accept."  
  
The Faerie Queen nodded and handed me a thick padded body suit that would protect me from the Kougra's teeth and claws.  
  
Then she placed Stasheff on a pedestal and blessed him, doubling his levels and stats. This, she had explained, would make sure that Stasheff could fight back against her.  
  
***  
  
Now we walked into the Adoption Center. We walked to the desk with the friendly Uni behind it and asked to see the pets up for adoption.  
  
I walked far into the Adoption Center to a place where it was not quite as well lit. Cages and cages lined the room. Pets from all different breeds lay here. Most seemed to have broken spirits, and simply lay in their cages staring at me with dull eyes. Then I found her, or more likely, she found me.  
  
There was a ferocious snarl behind me and a sharp crashing. I spun around and found myself looking into the large amber eyes, and powerful fanged mouth, of the Kougra in the mirror. She slammed herself into the cage front again and strained to claw at me through the bars of the cage.  
  
Hearing the commotion, the Uni trotted back to us, then merely sighed, "Stay away from that one. I'm afraid Kiara1896 isn't suitable for any kind of home. She was abused too much."  
  
"So I see." And indeed I COULD see. Kiara looked like the bad tail end of a whirlwind fight.  
  
Her fur was so dirty you couldn't tell where any of her stripes were. I could see under her fur though, that she had a beautiful, delicate face and a sleek, graceful body.  
  
Stasheff could see this too, for he made a soft, appreciative sound. Kiara turned her attention for him and flexed her sharp claws, getting the.points.across that her interest in him was anything other than a date.  
  
I slipped the suit on and buttoned it tightly over my clothes. I nodded to the Uni. "Let her out."  
  
The Uni looked terrified, but nodded and pressed a button. The cage door released and Kiara1896 was out like a streak of crimson, making straight for me.  
  
Stasheff reacted instantly. Larger, heavier and stronger than Kiara1896, he hit her like a ton of bricks. His weight and the strength of his pounce carried the two of them across the room to slide to a stop against the far wall. She struggled under him, snarling and trying to claw at him, but he had her completely immobile.  
  
I walked forward and knelt next to the two of them, "Kiara."  
  
At the sound of the name she had been dubbed with, Kiara froze and glared at me.  
  
I raised my hand and held up the object for her to see clearly. Kiara's eyes widened as she looked at the muzzle dangling from my hand. I could see what was going through her mind; memories of what she had been put through.  
  
"Kiara, I know you know what this is. Now. Let's make a deal. I am willing to adopt you. I will take you home with me and you can live a good life, OR we can do this the hard way. Believe me when I say that I will use whatever I need to make you behave yourself."  
  
Kiara simply snarled and snapped at me. I sighed, and feeling like a heel, I slipped the muzzle on her and bound her feet together. Then I picked her up despite her squirming, and carried her to the front. Stasheff put the adoption fee on the desk and we walked home.  
  
Once we were in the backyard, I unbound her paws, took the muzzle off and tossed her lightly away from me. Kiara landed on all four paws and charged at me. Stasheff pounced on her again and tossed her aside. She landed and snarled at both of us.  
  
Kiara1896 was fast and fierce but thanks to the Faerie Queen, Stasheff was even more so. She charged again and Stasheff caught her by the scruff of the neck. He held her like an overgrown kitten in his mouth and flattened her under his powerful front paws. Then Stasheff growled for the first time.  
  
I had never heard Stasheff growl before. It was a dangerous sound, and I never wanted to make him angry once I had heard it.  
  
Kiara was trapped in the business area (jaws and claws) of Stasheff's body and she froze, suddenly alarmed.  
  
I walked toward them and held up the muzzle again. "Kiara, I don't want to use this again but I will if you force me."  
  
She stared at the muzzle in my hand for a long time. Then her amber eyes flicked to my face, then up to Stasheff, who still held her pinned helplessly beneath him. Finally her eyes rested on the muzzle again and she took a long shaky breath.  
  
As she let it out, her body relaxed in defeat. Then she spoke, "I will do anything.to avoid being put back into one of those.things.again."  
  
I looked into her eyes and nodded slowly. "Then you promise to adapt to your new life? No biting, no fighting, no savagery of any kind?"  
  
".I promise."  
  
I took one of the heavy gloves off of my hands and held it out. Stasheff shifted slightly and let her free a paw. She put it in my hand and we shook on the agreement.  
  
Stasheff let her up and she got to her feet slowly, looking at me with a kind of cautious hope in her eyes.  
  
As we walked into the house, Kiara walked a little apart from us. She seemed to be avoiding me more than Stasheff. In fact, she was ignoring Stasheff altogether. Stasheff looked her over then shrugged to himself. I had taught him to be a gentleman Kougra, so he wasn't going to force her.  
  
It took several months for Kiara to relax in our home. She still had a territory thing, and her room was off limits without an invitation. For a while, she bristled and growled as soon as she saw us. But she kept to her promise and never attacked. Slowly but surely she began adapting to our household.  
  
Thanks to the treatment Kiara had gone through, she didn't like to be touched. It had taken a lot of coaxing to get her to let me groom the mats out of her fur and give her a bath. Now that she was clean, she insisted on brushing out her own fur.  
  
She was a smart little Kougra and she was fascinated with every book I bought for her. It was during one of our reading sessions that she finally relaxed enough to cuddle up.  
  
It was late in the evening and I was reading their favorite book, Kougra Classics. Stasheff was curled up on one side of me, listening to my voice and imagining himself in the place of the courageous Kougras in the book. Kiara lay in her usual place on the other end of the couch, listening and staring into the fire in the fireplace.  
  
Biting her lip, Kiara slowly tuned towards me and began sneaking closer. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she paused several times to get her courage up. Then she nudged my arm up and rested her head in my lap. I could feel her trembling; she expected me to hit her or something.  
  
I smiled and gently began scratching her behind the ears. Kiara tensed under my hand, then slowly relaxed. I continued reading and it took me a few minutes to realize that her trembling had turned into purring. I chuckled softly.  
  
I glanced down and saw that she had fallen asleep. I gave her a light hug and whispered, "Welcome to our family."  
  
Then I carried her gently into her room and lay her down on her soft bed. She may not trust us yet, but it was a start.  
  
***  
  
The next day I took Kiara1896 out with me for the first time. She was on strict orders to behave and stay close to me. Kiara grumbled but not too much; she was eager to see the world without having to hide.  
  
Trouble tried to come calling as soon as we entered the marketplace. I had gone into a store to buy a few things and let Stasheff and Kiara stay outside and watch the populace walk by. A trio of tough looking Kougras decided to pick on Kiara, one of the dumbest things to do.  
  
The largest one strode right up to Kiara, "Hey babe, why are you hanging out with this punk? We could show you what real guys do."  
  
That sparked several coarse laughs from his two buddies.  
  
Kiara looked uncomfortable. She was trapped by her promise not to get into trouble and the three of them had her cornered against the store wall. Kiara flattened her ears and bristled, her eyes looking for some sort of exit. If she couldn't fight she had to run. But the only way out was to fight, for these three weren't going to let them go.  
  
Stasheff whispered something softly into Kiara's ear. She glanced over at him and he nodded slightly and smiled.  
  
Kiara made a switch somewhere inside herself. Instantly she transformed from shy to Battle Dome Fighter. She inhaled and gave a deep-throated snarl that made passersby freeze. Stasheff added his voice to hers and the trio stumbled back a few feet in surprise.  
  
"Leave my sister alone," Stasheff snarled loudly.  
  
A crowd of Pets began to gather, murmuring among themselves.  
  
Trying to save face, the leader shoved his face in Stasheff's and growled, "Who's gonna make me?"  
  
The leader outweighed Stasheff by a lot. But he made the worst mistake; Stasheff was stronger than Kiara, but Kiara knew all the dirty tricks.  
  
Kiara hit the leader from behind. She grabbed the larger Kougra by the scruff of the neck and jerked, choking him. Then with a savage twist, she threw him against the building wall, stunning him. Stasheff protected her back as she confronted the would-be bully.  
  
She shoved her face into his and bared her sharp teeth, "My name is Kiara1896. Yes you recognize that name don't you? I won every battle that was thrown at me in the Battle Dome. Don't EVER mess with me or my brother again!"  
  
By now the bully was cowering in terror and the other two in his gang shrank back as well. The rest of the crowd abruptly dispersed, afraid that Kiara would turn on them next.  
  
I cleared my throat loudly from the store entrance, where I had watched the whole thing and I had a heavy cane in my hand, borrowed from the shopkeeper, that I could use as a club to literally knock some sense into the punks. The bully gulped and ran off, his striped tail between his legs.  
  
I gave the cane back to the shopkeeper and knelt next to Kiara who dropped her eyes, looking guilty. "I-I'm sorr-"  
  
I cut her off with a warm hug. "Don't be. You were in the right. Sometimes you just have to fight back. Come on, I bought you something."  
  
We walked to the rainbow pool and paused at the shore. I pulled out a shadowed paintbrush and smiled at Kiara, "This is for you Kiara. You can be your own independent color."  
  
Kiara's jaw dropped as I dipped the brush into the water. It instantly turned a mysterious, shadowy grey and black. I nodded to Kiara and she bounded forward. She took a deep breath and dove beneath the surface. The pool darkened to almost totally black, then the color faded back to a seemingly normal pool of water.  
  
Kiara surfaced, drenched but new in the wonderful independent color. She shook off and stared at herself in a mirror I held up to her.  
  
"Th-thank you Whyte_tiger. You have no idea how much it means to me to be part of a family."  
  
I hugged her again, "Actually, I think I do."  
  
The end. 


End file.
